Take Care
by AWolfAmongSwans
Summary: Alex comes down with the flu, and isn't exactly pleased when she receives an unexpected visitor at her front door.


The sound of someone knocking on her apartment door was the last thing Alex wanted to hear right now. Her nose was stuffed up, she had a massive headache, and plethora of other annoying flu symptoms, so she really didn't feel like dealing with anyone right now.

She was partially tempted to yell: "Go away!", but she was pretty sure that her voice would barely be able to yell at this point without her either coughing or it simply giving out midway through. So with that option rendered null and void, she slowly hauled herself up off the sofa and trudged over to the door to see who it was.

As Alex looked into the peephole, she recognized a familiar looking figure standing casually out in her hallway.

Heaving a labored sigh, she opened up the apartment door.

"What do you want Max?" Alex asked impatiently, as the tech billionaire stood before her.

"Friendly as usual, I see." Maxwell quipped with a teasing smile, before taking in her appearance. He could see that she was paler than usual, and looked fairly worn down as she stood there dressed in only a pair of royal blue pajamas. But somehow, even in spite all of that, she still managed to exude that sense of strength she was so well known for. He's always liked that about her.

"So the rumors around the DEO really are true, the mighty Agent Danvers really is sick." He muses. "I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

Alex gives him an unamused look and folds her arms over her chest. " _That's_ why you're here?" She asks, half tempted to slam the door on his face.

Max shakes his head. "On the contrary, I don't come empty handed." He informs her as he presents a container of chicken soup, courtesy of the best restaurant in town, for her to see.

Alex's brows furrowed in surprise and she tilted her head slightly. "You... brought me soup? Why?"

"Well, soup usually is one of the typical liquids of choice for this type of thing." He states matter of factly as he leans against the door frame, which causes her to narrow her eyes at him in frustration at his smart-ass response. She really didn't have the stamina for this right now. "That's not what I meant, nor does it really explain why you're here." She pointed out.

Max gives a breathy chuckle and swallows awkwardly as he contemplates her statement. What _was_ he doing here? He knew she had plenty of people in her life to check on her to make sure that she was doing okay. It's not like she needed him. But, even still... he couldn't help feeling that _he_ wanted to be one of those people. Someone she could count on. When had he heard she was sick, he'd felt a sense of worry he hadn't felt in a very long time. And just sitting around has never been his style, so... here he was.

Knowing that she was still expecting some kind of a response from him, Max eventually gave a slight shrug. "Getting dragged down to the DEO just isn't as fun without you around." He admits, and Alex stares at him a moment. Despite the playful nature of his words, she picks up on the deeper meaning of his sentiment and gives a small nod, deciding not to press it any further.

"I'd ask if you want to come in for a second, but I'm likely still contagious, so it's probably better I don't." She didn't have to worry about her sister or Jonn catching it because they were immune to human based pathogens, Max however was not. And even in spite there differences at, she'd never wish him ill.

Max tilted his head in amusement. "I wouldn't have thought you'd cared."

Alex shrugs. "I don't, I just don't want you blaming me for it." She replies bluntly, causing Max to laugh.

"I can at least bring this in for you, plus I've been meaning to test the efficiency of my flu shot." He joked, and Alex stepped back to let him inside, not really in the mood to argue at the moment. She found her body was growing a bit tired of standing, so she sat down on the couch while Max made himself at home in her kitchen.

"Care for some?" He asks, gesturing to the soup as he pulled it out of the bag and sat it down on her counter.

She shakes her head. "I don't have much of an appetite right now. Maybe later." She answered honestly as she stifled a small yawn before propping her head up on her hand.

He nods and folds up the bag before disposing it into the trash. "I'll just place it in your fridge then, alright?" He inquires as he opens up her refrigerator door, looking for somewhere to put it.

But Max finds that he gets no answer.

"Alex?"

When she doesn't respond, he turns around to find her passed out, rather uncomfortably, on the sofa. With her head cocked awkwardly over the side of the arm, torso scrunched up and feet haphazardly dangling off edge, he feels sore just looking at her.

He quietly sighs and shakes his head. If she was actually going to get some decent rest, she needed to be in her bed. So taking matters into his own hands, Max made his way over to the couch. He bent down, slipping one arm under her legs and the other behind her back, trying his best not to disturb her, and gently pulled her up into his arms.

After momentarily glancing around her apartment, he spots the door leading to her bedroom and slowly starts heading in that direction.

"What are you doing?" She mumbles half asleep as the movement stirs her awake and she notices that she's suddenly not on the sofa cushions anymore.

"Moving you to your bed." He informs her. "You were bound to end up with a stiff neck, sleeping on that poor excuse of what you call a couch."

Alex frowned. "I'm perfectly capable of walking myself." She argues stubbornly, struggling slightly in his arms in an effort to prove it, in spite barely being able to keep her eyes open at this point.

Max gives a small chuckle. "Relax. I know you are. But you don't always have to do everything by yourself."

"You're one to talk." She mumbles, finally giving up the struggle and deciding to rest her head against his shoulder.

The corner of Max's mouth twitches up slightly into a small smile, because even while sick and half asleep, her observations of him are spot on as usual. He's just as stubborn as she is when it comes to these sorts of things, though their reasonings are quite different. His has more to do with his general issues of trust when it comes to other people, while hers is proving she can take care of herself.

"Touché, Agent Danvers." He admits as they enter into her bedroom. "But this is doctor's orders."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "So, what, you're my doctor now?"

Max smirked. "Feel free to schedule your yearly physical with me sometime." He teased deviously and Alex managed to find the strength to roll her eyes at him.

"And for the record, I like that couch." She adds with a slight scowl on her face.

He shakes his head in disbelief. "Well, clearly you must be delirious."

Once beside her bed, he then carefully places her down onto to it and she starts to get herself situated under the covers. It's then she starts to feel a tickle in her throat, which proceeds to cause a series of painful coughs that wrack her body. When they finally cease, it takes her a moment to properly catch her breath and she lies back feeling utterly exhausted.

Jeez, she must look awful right now. And weak. She _really_ hates looking weak.

The bed shifts beside her as she feels Max sit down on the edge of the mattress, so she rolls over onto her side so that she's facing him.

That's when she notices his usual playful expression is now gone, and has instead been replaced with a look of genuine concern as he watches her. It a look she's not used to seeing from him very often.

She goes to reassure him that she's fine, but before she can, Max leans towards her and presses his lips gently to her forehead, catching her completely by surprise. She opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. What on Earth was he doing?

"You feel a little warm," He states methodically, and she suddenly realizes that he was trying to check if she had a fever. "But not too much, just keep an eye on it."

Alex simply nods, then briefly glances down at the floor. "I own a thermometer..." She mumbles quietly, her cheeks feeling slightly heated all of a sudden, which she chooses to blame on her flu and absolutely nothing else.

Another yawns escapes out of Alex's mouth, and she can feel sleep once again beckoning to her.

Max gives her a small half smile. "I'll let you get some rest." He tells her, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her face and tucking it behind her ear, his fingers lingering at her jawline for a moment before pulling them back and getting up.

"Feel better, Alex."

"Thank you." She murmurs genuinely, as her eyelids start to grow heavy.

Max smiles softly from the doorway.

"Anytime."


End file.
